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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22897351">The Mechanisms in... Neathly Adventures!</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/cyberdefender/pseuds/cyberdefender'>cyberdefender</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fallen London | Echo Bazaar, Sunless Sea, The Mechanisms (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon-Typical Violence, More tags to be added, i go through a lot of trouble to make mechanisms canon and fallen london canon just sort of kiss, the mechanisms can should must and will have a brawl with tomb colonists, tim isnt actually here yet but hes mentioned</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 12:07:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,239</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22897351</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/cyberdefender/pseuds/cyberdefender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Jonny D'ville comes from a land West of Hell, taken by Dr. Carmilla on a journey around the Neath, gathering- we'll call them friends-along the way to start a familiar storytelling cabaret. All told by a mysterious narrator. Are they a mechanism? probably not, they haven't burst into song yet.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Ante Up, Gentlemen.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>You ever hear of the Mechanisms?<br/>More immortal than most, full of clockwork and brass. They spread violence and fun and unpaid bar tabs wherever they go, and they say if they aren't carrying guns, they're almost always carrying tunes. They occupy the steam-ship Aurora, traveling from port to port, singing and shooting. Wanted in London, the Khanate, and the Presbyterite.<br/>No?<br/>Well, do I have a story for you...</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>West from the Fifth City, past Hell, past the many Devil-Colonies inland from the Unterzee, is New Texas.</p><p><br/>
A dry, dark, desolate landscape, New Texas is the biggest, smallest, northest, southest, eastest, westest and only holding of the United States of America in the Neath.</p><p>Although that’s not quite true.</p><p><br/>
Specifically, it is a holding of the Republic of Texas, and the Union doesn’t actually know about it.</p><p><br/>
If you asked a New Texan what their allegiances are, they’d say that they’re loyal to the Union. If a Texan asked a New Texan what their allegiances are, they’d say that it’s to Freedom, Liberty and the American Way. If a New Texan asked one of their own what their allegiances are, they’d say that it’s to New Texas.</p><p><br/>
These are all lies. New Texans are loyal to the Neath.</p><p><br/>
I suppose I could explain the Neath, if you insist. You do live here.</p><p>Viennese, you say? Hmph.</p><p>A mile below the surface, out of the light of the Sun. A cave of untold wonders and rather a lot of bats. Home of the Bazaar and the five Fallen Cities- Nagar, Amarna, Tikal, Karakorum, and London. Nearly everything in the Neath Is-Not, so far from the Sun and so close to the Land Beyond Mirrors.</p><p>Mushrooms thrive and take on new forms, rodents gain intelligence, and the lightless, waveless, monster-infested Unterzee claims Zailors. There are two continents- Southern The Elder Continent, home to nearly-immortal, dark-skinned humans, tigers, and a Mountain of Light that oversees it all, and the Eastern Hell’s Lands, where the Fifth Fallen City, many remnants of the other four, Hell and New Texas are located.</p><p>The Unterzee lies to the north of the Elder Continent and the east of Hell’s Lands. It’s full of islands, violence, superstition, and rather a lot of monsters. Is this quite enough? I’m getting sort of bored. Can we continue?</p><p><br/>
Finally.</p><p><br/>
New Texas is where Jonny D’ville spawned.</p><p>Yes, we are finally at our protagonist, Jonny D’ville. A lanky, tired-looking youth, rather fond of guns and eye-makeup, Jonny’s father, William Vangelis, was a gambler- as is, unfortunately, common in New Texas. As such, he was in debt to One Eyed Jack, the biggest casino owner in New Texas and, quite coincidentally, a Devil. Not the fire and brimstone sort- although they are rather fond of the stuff- simply a person, albeit one with a tendency to take souls as wager.</p><p>Jonny himself is, despite his name, human, as is Will Vangelis. As such, they are rather mortal. Death in the Neath is rarely permanent, unless the brain or heart is damaged- or you’re cut to bits, or lain low by disease or old age, although those are less permanent, simply unsightly. Jonny D’ville was aware od this, and as such, was rather fond of acts of random violence. They’ll get better, after all.</p><p>One Eyed Jack knew this when he invited Jonny to his casino that day.</p><p><br/>
“Welcome, my boy, sit down! Mushroom wine? Gen-u-ine beef from the surface? Play a hand, tell your daddy I said hello.” One Eyed Jack had, in fact, two eyes. Yellow-Orange with pure black, snakelike pupils. He had a rather odd fashion sense that you or I would recognize as a bit ahead of its time, and his hands were constantly shuffling, dealing, and shuffling again. His pale face was perpetually locked in a grin with teeth rather sharper than you’d like, but not as sharp as you’d expect. Jonny D’ville was used to this- One Eyed Jack was an institution in New Texas. He was the richest man in the colony, the mayor, and one of the biggest employers. And, of course, his father spent rather a lot of time here.</p><p><br/>
“What do you want, Jack?”</p><p><br/>
“It’s about Billy, boy, your daddy. He’s in debt and nowhere to be found. You ready to work it off?”</p><p><br/>
Jonny sighed. “Sure, Jack. Who do you want me to kill?”</p><p><br/>
“Why the long face, boy? Play a hand, bet some chips, have a cigar!”</p><p><br/>
“No thanks, Jack, just gimmie the gun.”<br/>
Jack handed over a pistol- a special brass revolver, with five lead bullets. Then he was handed a note.</p><p><br/>
“You know the drill, Jonny boy. Shoot ‘em, drag the body to doctor, and leave their tab.”</p><p><br/>
“Yessir.”</p><p><br/>
Jonny left as swiftly as he could, with six locations and times. He doesn’t know who will be waiting for him there, but he needs to get it done. They’ll get better. It might’ve even been fun, if he was doing it for himself.<br/>
The first five deaths went off smoothly. The sixth… Well, I did mention that there were five lead bullets.</p><p><br/>
The sixth was made of brass, inscribed with a dangerous sign from the Correspondence, a burning language of sigils. It’ll hold together just long enough to be shot, then it will melt in the body of the target, spreading fire throughout their body, leaving nothing but ashes. The worst kind of permanent death- a slow one.</p><p><br/>
And it was meant for his father.</p><p><br/>
After Jonny pulled the trigger, he realized what he had done. He had begged and plead with his deadbeat dad to stay. He threatened to shoot himself, he threatened to shoot his mother.</p><p><br/>
His father was resigned.</p><p><br/>
He caressed his boy’s face for the last time as his fingers turned to ash, then tried to hug him before his arms went. He said his last words before his throat went, and flashed a last smile before his mouth went.</p><p><br/>
It broke Jonny’s heart. Quite literally, in fact! He died on the spot. It was quite funny, really. His heart was torn in two, leading to internal bleeding. He was brain dead for nearly two hours, without anything ever breaking skin.</p><p>Then Doctor Carmilla arrived on the scene.</p><p><br/>
The Good Doctor was, herself, a deviless. Quite a different one than Jack. Older than the First City, but definitely human. No, she wasn’t a deviless in a technical sense- with the eyes and the souls and whatnot. No, she was just a bastard. One that was quite skilled at medicine, and a Red Scientist to boot! Versed in esoteric rites and- supposedly- able to read the Correspondence. Don’t get too attached to her, she dies later, and is quite a different kind of bloodthirsty than Jonny, if you get my meaning. She was always seen with an odd case- some say violin, but they’re blind. It was too big to be a violin, too small to be a cello, so I suppose that it was a viola. That’s right, she played in the Alto clef, the bastard.</p><p><br/>
No, I’m not jealous. I just prefer Treble.</p><p><br/>
Now, Doctor Carmilla was a bit of a renaissance woman. Doctor, scientist, occultist, murderer, musician. She was skilled at clockwork prosthesis and negotiation. As such, her first interaction with Jonny went like this:</p><p><br/>
“What… Where am I?”</p><p><br/>
“You’re alive.”</p><p><br/>
“I was dead?”</p><p><br/>
“Quite.”</p><p><br/>
“Why?”</p><p><br/>
“Heartbreak.”</p><p><br/>
“Oh. Did you fix it?”</p><p><br/>
“Yes. Now your heart is mechanical.”</p><p><br/>
“Oh.”</p><p><br/>
“Now you’re more immortal than most."</p><p><br/>
“I see.”</p><p><br/>
“Do you know how to play an instrument?”</p><p><br/>
“I mean… I can sing?”</p><p><br/>
“Good enough. You work for me now.”</p><p><br/>
“I’m already in debt to One Eyed Jack.”</p><p><br/>
“We can kill him. Kip up, then, we’d better get moving.”</p><p><br/>
“Oh. Okay.”</p><p><br/>
Jonny D’ville isn’t bewildered often, but this… This was quite strange. Very, very strange. But true to her word, Carmilla let Jonny kill Jack. He burnt the casino after him, not caring about the civilians inside. This fire isn’t hot enough to cremate, they’ll be fine. And it was fun. He did it for himself.</p><p><br/>
After this, he left New Texas forever. Hasn’t even been back for a gig. He headed East with doctor Carmilla, trudging through a sunless desert towards the depths of Hell. Leaving fire behind and making fire ahead.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Jonny D'ville was the first Mechanism, but he was far from the last. The Good Doctor is walking to Hell, looking for a specific, rather wooden, veteran of '68. Or, a copy of one, at least. Too stubborn to burn, too devoted to quit. Unless you ask it nicely.<br/>Shut up. It's cool to be mysterious. Get me another drink and maybe I'll continue.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. A Little Gen'ral Plays at War</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Toy Soldier Causes Problems On Purpose<br/>this one is shorter but i sort of didn't want to describe the Angel part of the TS' backstory</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The Toy Soldier was next on Carmilla's trek to London. A journey through Hell on foot is quicker than waiting for your transport papers to make it through the Hellish bureaucracy, so she didn't even bother chartinga boat.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>And so it came about, in the year of our Lord 1868, not 10 years after London had been sold by Her Majesty the Traitor Empress, that the good, staunchly Christian Englishmen of the city declared a good, Christian, English, invasion on Hell. </p><p>	This was an incredibly stupid thing to do.</p><p>	Found just upriver to Fallen London, Hell is a strange land, not meant for humans. It’s full of burning roses, brimstone churches and vast shadows of unthinkably large Gallows. I have seen it once and escaped. Most never get the chance to do either. Most of the good, righteous Englishmen didn’t, certainly.</p><p>	You see, most of the invasion didn’t get past the Forgotten Quarter of Fallen London. That’s right- They didn’t even get out of the city. Devils, which certainly weren’t as common as they are now, had heard of the plot, but they had swarmed the city, ready to fight those poor souls that had decided to invade. Nevertheless, a few troubled souls ended up in Hell.<br/>
The Aging Antiquarian’s husband was among the first casualties, his squad having died in the first assault. From late ’68 onward, she was lonely, an old woman with no one to keep her company in the dark nights of-</p><p>	That’s… how we do things here. Names are dangerous to give out.</p><p>	No! I don’t want your name. didn’t you hear me? It’s dangerous. I’ve been thinking of you as the Curious Viennese. </p><p>	I suppose you can think of me as the Neathly Storyteller. If you must. Although it’s not usually what I go by.</p><p>	Can we continue? Good.  Bartender, another drink!</p><p>	Now, the Aging Antiquarian was a lonely old girl, with a large collection of artefacts from the surface, the fourth city, and even Hell and the Elder Continent. It was said that she hailed from the Land beyond Mirrors- Parabola, or the Dream World. Among her collection was a wooden homunculus, given life by the Isle of Polythreme, where even the coins scream. A blank slate, agreeable and placid. First, she trained it to keep her company- to take tea the proper way, to brush her hair, to support Her Majesty the way that her husband had. Then she had taught it to speak the way her husband had, with “tally-ho”s and “jolly good”s. Then she died.</p><p>It wasn’t anticlimactic. It was fact.</p><p>The Toy Man didn’t have anywhere to go once she died, so it made a living working with the Clay Men and Women, walking about town, looking to lift heavy things for echoes. It did this for quite a few years, before deciding that the Devils around London are quite too much for a Good, Christian Englishman to bear! It gathered a gun and a regiment and led a war! The battle of ’79, it’s called. And it’s still going on, supposedly.<br/>
The Toy Soldier didn’t burn like normal wood or flesh, it put itself back together after being split. It was relentless, and war was quite the distraction from the tedium of lifting heavy things for echoes. It didn’t have goal, really. It knew it couldn’t exterminate all of the devils, and its squadmates had died long ago. The devils had given up killing it, and although it had occasionally dumped water on burning-roses or bombed an empty church, it wasn’t much of a threat.<br/>
It was while it-</p><p>Well, spit it out, then!</p><p>Jonny D’ville and Dr. Carmilla do a *lot* of things that are a bad idea. Giving out their names is one of them. They are above the consequences. You are not. If you’re done *just having* thoughts…</p><p>No, you’re right. That was rude. I apologize.</p><p>Anyway… It was while it was trudging uphill from the river, a water bucket in hand, ready to douse a field of burning roses, that it saw *itself*, in the company of devils. Three of them. Not in the technical sense- with the souls and eyes and such- just right bastards. </p><p>“Hullo, Me!” the Toy Soldier said.</p><p>“Hullo, Me!” the Toy Devil said, waving.</p><p>“Christ,” the American Singer said. “There are two now.”</p><p>“An inescapable consequence of hour-usage,” the Good Doctor said. “Going into the past is difficult, unstable and has consequences.”</p><p>Not even I know what hours are. They say that the Good Doctor is from a future where the Traitor Empress has conquered time, but that’s simply bollocks. It’s the only story I can tell you, though. Believe it or don’t.<br/>
“Is This True ? Are You From The Future ?” the Toy Soldier asked.</p><p>“Quite ! Actually I Think Gunpowder Tim Is From The Past .”</p><p>“Interesting ! Do You Know What I Will Do Now ?”</p><p>“You Will Go To The Rose-Field And You Will Put Water On It And Then The Good Doctor Will Approach You And You Will Get To Leave !”</p><p>	“That Is So Fun ! Thank You , Toy Devil !”</p><p>	“You Are Welcome , Toy Soldier !”</p><p>	Jonny D’ville then shot his Toy Soldier for being annoying. He does this quite a lot. It never sticks for very long. Our Toy Soldier walks with its bucket to the field of burning roses. Just like it said, when it put them out, Carmilla approached it, a tired-looking Jonny in tow.</p><p>	“Can you play an instrument?”</p><p>	“My Mother Taught Me How To Play The Mandolin And I Stole A Very Pretty Voice From An Angelic Deviless !”</p><p>	“Good enough. Come with me.”</p><p>	A good soldier follows orders, so that’s what it did. It followed Carmilla to London. And that’s how the Mechanisms grew larger.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Next, Doc Carmilla decides to head to Zee to pick up some remaining crew members including the silent Third Devil. But that's a story for another day. First, she has to get a ship, and a violinist.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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